When the Rice Institute opened its doors to students in 1912, there were 59 students — 37 men and 22 women. Although women attended classes, they were unable to live on campus as the men did. In the first few decades of the Rice Institute, most female students were from Houston and lived at home with their parents. Over the years, off-campus boarding and other housing options became available; however, it wasn’t until 1957, when the college system was introduced and Mary Gibbs Jones College opened, that women began to live on campus.

Working with Centennial Historian Melissa Kean, video producer Brandon Martin takes a look at female Owls joining the nest. For more information on Rice’s history, visit Kean’s blog at www.ricehistorycorner.com.

To help celebrate the university’s centennial Oct. 12, Rice University is producing weekly videos exploring the school’s unique history.